Yesterday we received news that one of the agents we previously worked with has resigned to open a restaurant.
This is the second agent I know to leave. The first was Maneka, who left the AV industry to go into construction, and now this one has done it. Actually, their compensation is quite good, with a starting salary of 250,000 yen (around 70,000 NTD), plus various allowances, much better than the average fresh graduate. But the turnover rate is still very high…
This is quite normal. First, many people in this industry find it difficult to explain to their families, so they naturally want to leave when the opportunity arises. Second, this industry has its hardships; small agencies might struggle to find clients, while large agencies have too much work and the pressure is far greater than imagined. Finally, although running around with actresses every day might be good for your eyes, these actresses don't hide anything from you. One agent once broke down and told me, "Do you think meeting XXX every day is fun? I've been killed by her countless times!"
So, what kind of person is suitable for the job of an agent?
I once had dinner with the president of a major agency. He said getting into the industry was simple; all you needed were three traits to work for his company. What were those three traits? "A love of alcohol," "a fondness for women," and "good physical stamina!"
Why? Because the leaders in this industry are all heavy drinkers, and agents also enjoy drinking in private, and the seniority system in this industry is extremely strict, anyone who refuses to drink will be seen as strange and unsociable and will be bullied; then there's the "lust," this industry treats women as commodities, to do well you must understand your product, if you're not lustful enough people will think you lack sensitivity (meaning you have to be extremely lustful, a little perverted is acceptable); finally, you need good stamina, AV actresses' work hours are very long and tedious, I've seen an agent who manages 14 actresses set 9 different alarms a day, waking one actress at 6:30 am, another at 7 am to go to the set, and then there are alarms reminding each actress what to do and when to confirm their schedule, and when you open Google Calendar it's densely packed and dizzying...
So it seems easy to get into the industry, but surviving is not as easy as it seems. But that's how any job is—if your Japanese is good, you're confident you can handle the pressure of the job, and you're not afraid of being drunk more than half the week, I actually know a couple of talent agencies that are short-staffed. If you want to try, just tell me~
Photo of actress: Kagami Sara
